BYD Dolphin Review & Prices

The curiously-named BYD Dolphin is an electric family car, and until recently its only hatchback; though it’s been joined by the smaller, cheaper Dolphin Surf. The Dolphin is a well priced, practical car with loads of standard kit, but it’s crashy over bumps and it’s not the prettiest looking thing around.

It’s like an Ikea storage unit on wheels; loads of clever functionality built-in for a reasonable price, but it’s plain to look at, and the brand name doesn’t have any clout attached to it either.

And its price is a topic to emphasise, because it comes in a lot cheaper than its size-comparable alternatives such as the Cupra Born and Volkswagen ID3, and it’s better equipped as standard than the Smart #1 and Renault Megane E-Tech.

BYD Dolphin: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 265 miles
Efficiency: 3.9-4.1mi/kWh
Battery size: 60kWh
Max charge speed: 150kW
Charge time AC: 6hrs 12mins, 0-100%, 11kW
Charge time DC: 36mins, 10-80%, 150kW
Charge port location: Right side front
Power outputs: 201hp

It’s nowhere near as head turning as any of those cars though - even the ID3 looks handsome by comparison - because while there’s nothing inherently wrong with its design, there’s not much right with it either. The headlights are a bit too small and the silhouette is a bit too blobby.

The interior is a different story altogether, because stepping into the Dolphin is like stepping into a space ship. The dashboard design wraps around you onto the door cards, rising and falling around the cabin while the control panel juts out above the centre console, and beneath the floating (and rotating) 12.8-inch infotainment screen.

And it’s not all style either, as the Dolphin is genuinely spacious for a car of this size. You can seat four adults in comfort - five is a squeeze - and boot space is good when compared to the Smart #1 and MG4. It’s a shame so many of the materials are of a questionable quality, as the plastics immediately around the trimmed armrests on the doors feel scratchy, and the dashboard top causes a lot of glare.

A 2025 update narrowed the Dolphin’s trim levels down to two options, and you can only have a single battery and motor combination; 201hp and a claimed 265 miles of range.

It’s easy to drive in town, with light steering and standard-fit 360-degree cameras, but the Dolphin does tend to crash its way through potholes and thud over bumps. Motorways are more relaxing as the Dolphin settles down at high speed, though there is a bit of wind noise, and country lanes are uneventful so long as you don’t try to hustle it through tight corners like a sports car.

As a value for money proposition the Dolphin is an excellent car, and you can check out new BYD Dolphin deals on Carwow, or BYD Dolphin lease deals, alternatively. There are used BYD Dolphins for sale through our trusted network of dealers, and other used BYDs available too. Carwow can even help you when the time comes to sell your car.

There are only two trim levels to choose from, Comfort and Design - both equipped with the long-range battery - and the Dolphin starts from just north of £30,000. You used to be able to get a cheaper version with a smaller battery, but now that’s only available used. It’s still great value considering the Comfort comes equipped with lane keeping active cruise control, heated front seats and steering wheel, and a heat pump as standard.

The Design model is around a thousand pounds more, but comes with a glass panoramic roof, tinted rear windows, ventilated front seats and a wireless phone charger too.

Considering that most of its alternatives such as the Renault Megane E-Tech and Volkswagen ID3 not only cost more but aren’t nearly as well equipped as standard, the Dolphin is a very tempting proposition.

The top-spec model proves that 204hp is more than enough for a mid-sized hatchback. The Dolphin is, ironically for a sea mammal, most at home in town, and isn’t the most engaging on a country road 

In town

The Dolphin’s small dimensions and light steering make it a doddle to manoeuvre around town. Visibility isn’t perfect; both the front and rear door pillars are quite thick, so the forward view at roundabouts and over-the-shoulder rear visibility isn't optimal.

It’s also a shame that the regenerative braking isn’t very strong - there’s a normal mode and one to increase the regen, but even on the higher level it’s very mild, where other cars have the ability to come to a halt, rather than having to use the brakes. No one-pedal driving here.

Although the suspension is a bit stiff - imperfections in the road are felt rather than absorbed - the Dolphin copes well with the likes of speed bumps and other urban obstacles, but very sharp potholes do thud through the cabin with a bang.

All cars get front and rear parking sensors and a 360-degree camera, which is impressive. Other useful kit in town is a warning when you’re about to open the door into the path of another road user.

On the motorway

The Dolphin feels grown up and sensible on the motorway; there’s a little road noise and wind noise but it cruises along happily at higher speeds. The 201hp motor means you’re quickly up to speed on a slip road or off a roundabout.

The safety system count also works well in keeping you secure and reducing fatigue on a long journey. As well as adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist, you’ll find driver fatigue and traffic sign recognition systems.

On a twisty road

The key thing to make sure your Dolphin doesn’t feel like a porpoise out of water when you hit your favourite B-road is to dive into the touch-screen menus to switch the steering to its sportier setting. Separate to the general Sport setting, there’s a function that transforms the steering weight from its light-and-twirly town feel, to a more meaty weighting that gives you confidence in taking bends. 

It can’t increase tyre grip though, so until they’re sorted late this year, tread a little carefully on wet roads, especially when accelerating, but it’s otherwise a sensible level of fun. We’re not talking hot hatch fun, but body roll is well controlled so it doesn’t feel like you're throwing passengers around.

Impressive interior space, especially for rear passengers, although there’s not a lot of cleverness to the boot area, and no storage under the bonnet

Hop into a BYD Dolphin and you’ll find an attractive cabin with plenty of cubby holes and storage. The driving position is easily adjusted thanks to standard electric seats across the whole line-up, and a neat touch is that the small dashboard display moves with the steering wheel so no matter where you move the wheel, you can see it through the spokes. The rotating gear selector is on the end of a short bar of buttons, so neatly tucked away.

There are lots of little places to stash wallets or keys, and a huge open area beneath the armrest that’s matched by a huge glovebox. The door bins are more average in size and not lined, so anything dropped into them makes a noise as it slides around, but the doors themselves shut with a reassuring thump that proves we’re not dealing with a cheap car. 

There are a pair of cupholders that will take a decent-sized bottle or coffee, too.

Space in the back seats

Back seat passengers will be pleased, as tall people are able to sit one behind the other in the Dolphin despite the front seats being fairly chunky. You can just about squeeze your feet under the front seats, which helps in finding a comfortable position, as does the fact that the floor is nice and flat.

Headroom is adequate, although the big rear pillars make it a little dark in the back, especially in Comfort cars which don’t have a panoramic glass roof. The rear windows aren’t that big either, which doesn’t help with letting light in.

The middle seat is much narrower than the outer two, so only really suitable for smaller people. Three adults isn’t really an option, unless they’re very good friends. The ISOFIX points are easily accessible, and there are two in the back and one on the front seat.

The rear door bins are a reasonable size, although not lined, and rear passengers get a pair of USB sockets as well as one cupholder to fight over in the middle. Two more appear when you drop the centre armrest though, which should stop any beverage-related incidents from escalating.

Boot space

The Dolphin’s boot space is broadly in line with electric hatchbacks at 345 litres, rising to 1,310 with the rear seats folded. That compares with 289 litres in the MG4, 323 litres in the Smart #1 and 311 in Peugeot’s e-208, while the Renault Zoe is also a touch behind at 338 litres. The more expensive Volkswagen ID3 and Cupra Born each have a luggage area of 385 litres.

The Dolphin’s boot is a split floor arrangement, with a big area underneath when it’s in the higher position - more than enough to stash the charging cables. Which is handy as there’s no frunk under the small bonnet. 

Drop the floor and it’s a decent shape and size for carrying stuff, although that does mean a hefty lip to heave heavier items over. You get pockets either side for keeping smaller things safe, but the parcel shelf feels a bit flimsy. 

The rear seats drop in a 60:40 configuration, but you need to have the boot floor in the higher position to offer up a flat area to slide longer or chunkier loads across. 

Clever rotating screen is a novelty party piece in a cabin that looks smart and stylish. Infotainment could do with some shortcut buttons though, as too much goes through the screen

At first glance the cabin looks great, with plenty of style and different materials making for an interior that’s far from plain. But prodding closer does reveal some of the materials aren’t quite as soft-touch as they look. It’s still nice, but in keeping with the pricing rather than masquerading as a premium car. 

There are a pair of USBs and a 12V socket up front, as well as a wireless charging pad on top-spec cars.

The Dolphin’s biggest party piece is its rotating screen. Yep, the 12.8-inch infotainment screen can rotate from portrait to landscape at the touch of a button. As long as you’re not using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, where it will stay landscape. It’s a neat trick, if slightly pointless as most people will just stick with the one layout. Fun though. 

Less good is the lack of shortcut buttons to help navigate between screens. To go from using CarPlay to change the temperature by one degree and back to where you were again is nine presses or swipes, which isn’t massively convenient compared to the old fashioned way of just pressing a button or turning a knob in the cabin. 

There is also voice control for those inclined to use that functionality, but all-in-all it could be a touch more user-friendly by just retaining a few extra buttons. That would though upset the clean lines of the cabin. 

Both the Comfort and Design trim levels share the same battery and motor combo, so both offer an official 265-mile range from a 60.4kWh battery, which works out at 4.4mi/kWh - though we found 4.0mi/kWh in our testing, which would equate to about 240 miles in the real world.

The Dolphin is capable of charging at up to 11kW at home, and at public charging points it can charge at up to 110kW, which equates to a 10-80% top up taking 36 minutes. That’s a bit slower than some of its alternatives such as the Vauxhall Corsa Electric and Peugeot E-208 (both around 30mins).

Also worthy of note is that BYD fits a heat pump as standard to all cars. That device helps maintain the vehicle’s range when the temperature drops, which is a recognised problem for EVs when winter comes around.

As with all electric vehicles the Dolphin fits into the lowest band of Vehicle Excise Duty, and both the Comfort and Design models avoid the luxury car tax supplement. Company car tax is also heavily weighted towards electric vehicles, so the Dolphin fits into the lowest Benefit-in-Kind band for company car drivers.

The Dolphin was awarded a full five stars by Euro NCAP when it was tested in 2023, with high scores given out for adult and child occupants, vulnerable road users and safety assists. 

Backing up that point is the raft of safety kit included, with all cars getting as standard seven airbags, high-beam assist, driver fatigue detection, adaptive cruise control, blind spot and lane-keep assist functions and an alert to stop you opening the door if there’s something approaching that you’ll step out in front of.

BYD didn’t place in the 2024 Driver Power owner reliability survey, but we’ve not heard any horror stories from owners about recurring issues with the Dolphin, and electric cars tend to have fewer issues than petrol and diesel models because there are fewer moving parts to deal with.

A worry with any newer brand is reliability, but BYD is backing itself with an impressive six-year, 93,750-mile warranty on the Dolphin, rising to eight years on the drive motor and battery, the latter also extending out to 125,000 miles.